Israelis fined for wedding kiss in India

BBC News:

An Israeli couple being married in India have found that you may not kiss the bride - the pair were fined $22 for indecency for their wedding embrace.

A court in Rajasthan imposed the fine after Alon Orpaz and Tehila Salev had decided to get married in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Pushkar.

Priests were offended when the couple kissed and hugged during the chanting of religious verses.

The apologetic couple said they were unaware public kissing was banned.

The couple, who had met in India while travelling separately, paid the 1,000-rupee fine for "committing an act of indecency" to avoid a 10-day jail sentence.

Some of the priests were upset by their actions at the wedding and filed a case claiming Hindu sentiments had been hurt.

SN Garg, president of the Priests and Pilgrimage Society, said: "It is a matter of concern for the priest community. We want the government to ensure that tourists visiting Pushkar must respect Indian culture."

Mr Garg said the couple had now been forgiven after they apologised for their behaviour.

The couple said their public embrace was done according to their own culture and was not intended to be hurtful.

Pushkar, on the banks of Pushkar Lake, is a popular pilgrimage spot for both tourists and Hindus.

Just one more example of how mulitculturalism doesn't work since what is acceptable to one culture will often be offensive to another.